David Cameron has himself to blame for frustrations with the Coalition

The blame for David Cameron's frustration with the Coalition lies at his own
feet

7:00AM BST 20 Jul 2012

SIR – David Cameron states that he “becomes frustrated that he cannot always get his own way” in the Coalition (report, July 19). It is entirely his own fault.

It is time that he reminded Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, that he, David Cameron, is leader of the party with most seats in the House of Commons and that Mr Clegg is leader of the major party with the least seats. The place of a deputy is to the rear of his principal, not at his side.

If Mr Cameron is to have full influence on the governance of our affairs, he must make this point forcibly and stop Mr Clegg bringing forward the fanciful ideas of a party who are, after all, the junior partner in this unfortunate arrangement.

John D Frew Ipswich, Suffolk

SIR – Mr Cameron warns of a longer round of belt-tightening lasting until 2020. But as the baby-boomers retire it is clear that this economic crisis is the symptom not just of greedy bankers but of a much deeper malaise: we are not producing enough children, and have not done so for many years.

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Without immigration our finances would be in an even more parlous state. However, immigrants face the same disincentives to having children: lack of support for committed relationships and the family through the tax system. Politicians still fail to see the dangerous fallacy of this approach, viewing people as an expensive luxury rather than the key to prosperity.

Ann Farmer Woodford Green, Essex

SIR – The Prime Minister restates his belief that securing Afghanistan is essential to fighting terrorism (report, July 19). Even if we were to secure Afghanistan, the Islamic terrorist centre would simply move on to Sudan or other parts of North Africa.

This is just one of many examples of our leader’s questionable judgment. He also turns a blind eye and deaf ear to the advice that if he wants to grandstand on the world stage he can only do this with credibility if he has the muscle, in other words military strength, to back it up.

Philip Congdon La Bastide d’Engras, Provence, France

SIR – With the Foreign Affairs Select Committee currently reviewing Britain’s options, as the EU heads towards fiscal union, it is premature of Mr Cameron not to “countenance leaving the EU”. By ditching his best negotiating hand, has he given up on the idea of repatriating powers?

Michael McGough Loughton, Essex

SIR – I was pleased to read that David Cameron has stated: “I’ll never campaign to take us out of Europe.” As he has broken most of the promises that he made, those who believe that Britain should be governed from Westminster, not Brussels, should be inspired.

Bryan Smalley Much Hadham, Hertfordshire

Police overtime pay

SIR – Peter Storey appears to have believed the spin about police levels of pay (Letters, July 19). We have never received triple time, and double time is solely confined to bank holidays when most of us would prefer to be with our families – families we miss no less than our colleagues in the Armed Forces.

While many, but not all, officers like myself were informed that we would have our leave cancelled this summer, many were not, as the “efficient and flexible” private sector was going to look after us all.

Now that has all gone horribly wrong, your readers may care to reflect that, while there is much that the private sector does very well, some things are better left to those of us with a sense of duty, rather than merely a desire for profit.

Sergeant Ian Manners Stanmore, Middlesex

SIR – I cannot understand why we need such a huge army of people to provide security at the Olympics. Surely something is seriously out of joint when the number of security staff is greater than the number of competitors taking part. Is London really such a dangerous place?

Mike Horgan Heswall, Cheshire

SIR – I read with horror that UK Border Agency staff are considering strike action next week (report, July 19).

I find it so sad that they obviously have no pride in their country.

S M Goodall Heathfield, Sussex

Free schools for all

SIR – My son has just finished his first year at the West London Free School (Comment, July 18), and I would like to applaud Toby Young, the founder, as well as the governors and staff, for creating a truly outstanding school, without selection.

While we could afford a private education for our son, we felt he should have exposure to a more diverse group of pupils, and he in turn would contribute to the school. My son got his place via lottery, not because we could buy a house nearby.

It is odd that the Left attacks free schools for their ability to attract families like ours, alongside the 25 per cent of the intake who are on free school meals. Wasn’t that the objective of comprehensives?

In 2004 I ran the campaign to launch the reforms proposed by Michael Gove, shadow education secretary at the time, and felt it would be hypocritical not to take up the opportunity.

Britain needs more Toby Youngs, more Michael Goves and more free schools.

Michael Moszynski London NW1

A tip for tipping

SIR – If Max Davidson wants to leave a 10 per cent tip on a restaurant bill (Features, July 17), he should add 8.33 per cent to the total shown.

On a £120 bill, £20 represents VAT, which goes to the Chancellor, so a tip of 10% on the restaurant’s charge is £10. I see no reason to tip the Chancellor on top.

Ian Prideaux London SW4

Filial shame

SIR – I asked my eldest son whether he had felt embarrassed when he grew old enough to realise that I was his father (“Mum’s the word for modern dads – we’re so embarrassing”, Features, July 19).

“No,” he replied, “not until I realised that other people knew you were my father.”

Ken Stevens Sonning Common, Oxfordshire

Politics in court

SIR – The Government is giving financial support to a case at the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya’s deputy prime minister.

There are striking and disturbing parallels between what is happening today and Britain’s role in pursuing criminal charges 60 years ago against his father Jomo Kenyatta, who later became Kenya’s first president. His conviction was quashed when it was discovered the central witness to the prosecution had been coached and paid for by the British government.

Today, the ICC case against his son revolves around a similarly suspect witness, who has changed his testimony four times, once retracting it in its entirety. The Government is directly funding the witness-protection scheme.

That the British Government is now accused of systematic torture and abuse of detainees during the Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya creates further dark links to Britain’s colonial past. The Government should reconsider its support for the case against Mr Kenyatta, both on account of serious questions around the lack of evidence and because British funding of the witness protection scheme is politically biased.

SIR – We, along with our friends and neighbours, like our analogue radios, and most of us have at least four (Letters, July 18).

We have five: one in the kitchen, one in the study, one in the garage, one in the conservatory and one in our bedroom. We are all also quite happy with our car radios, most of which are part of our cars.

If there is a complete switch to digital, what would be done with all the thousands of analogue radios?

Christabel Cox Sidcup, Kent

A cigar for Churchill?

SIR – You report that there was a wartime plot to blow up Winston Churchill with a bar of exploding chocolate smuggled into the War Cabinet dining room (July 18). In a Nazi plot to blow up Churchill, wouldn’t an exploding cigar have been more appropriate?

Andrew M Courtney Hampton Wick, Middlesex

Driving on the left is a legacy of empire and war

SIR – The British don’t drive on the left solely because the heart is on the left (Letters, July 18), although Tony Pay was correct in stating that it is to do with defending oneself.

Travellers have always passed on the left to allow the dominant right hand to hold a weapon for defence. This applied to walkers, riders and wheeled vehicles. When the first powered vehicles were produced, the driver and steering wheel were placed on the right.

Only when Henry Ford made the Model T was the steering wheel placed on the left, even in the first British ones assembled in Manchester. As the Model T was exported around the world, other countries began to adopt his system and started building cars with left-hand drive.

Only the Empire retained the right-hand drive, alongside Japan, whose car industry was pioneered by British manufacturers.

Brian Binns Loughborough, Leicestershire

SIR – Clocks go round the way that it appears the sun does in the northern hemisphere. Hearts are on the left, so that’s where the shield goes.

On the other hand, a sword is easier to stow if the scabbard is to the left, which makes it difficult to throw one’s left leg over a horse when mounting. Thus we used to mount a horse from the left and ride so as to bring our sword arm closer to the enemy. Napoleon had his horsemen wield swords across their bodies as a surprise tactic; hence France driving au droit.

Reg Hewitt Llantwit Major, Glamorgan

SIR – Bill Newton wonders why trains travel on the left-hand track in some European countries, where people drive on the right (Letters, July 19).

The reason is that the original routes were built by British engineers.